Palace: Rise of tourist numbers during Holy Week ‘good news’

Malacañang on Tuesday said that the reported influx of tourists in several destinations during Holy Week was good news as the country recovers from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the Palace briefing, acting presidential spokesperson Martin Andanar said the high numbers of tourists showed that the confidence level of the public to go out on a vacation even with the pandemic improved.

“Magandang balita yan. Dumadami na ang mga turista so ibig sabihin yung confidence level ng ating mga kababayan na magbakasyon ay nandyan na pagkatapos nga ng mga lockdown,” he said.

(That’s good news. The tourist arrivals were increasing so it means the confidence level of our countrymen is already back after lockdowns.)

“Ngayon makaka-recover na ang turismo  at makakabangaon ang ekonomiya sa mga lugar na very dependent on tourism [Now, the economy and tourism sector can recover especially in areas dependent on tourism],” he added.

However, Andanar noted that the public should still observe minimum public health standards against the spread of COVID-19.

On Monday, the Department of Tourism called on authorities to address the tourist arrivals that surpassed the capacity limit of Boracay Island during Holy Week.

Based on the Malay Tourism Office's report to the DOT, the number of tourists on the island hit 21,252 on April 14 (Holy Thursday) and 22,519 on April 15 (Good Friday)—far beyond the recommended daily threshold of around 19,000 tourists.

The DOT said it had notified the DILG and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) of the issue and urged them to take appropriate measures to prevent such incidents.

Andanar said they will wait for the reports from the DILG and DENR on the matter. — BM, GMA News